When I started TMB I honestly thought - and probably like most people that started their own businesses - that it would be a case of just making a couple of cakes and taking some nice photos for Instagram.
Spoiler alert - I couldn't of been more wrong. And when people say oh it's just a cake.. it never is otherwise .
So i thought I'd show you a typical day in the life of a cake baker and decorator.
And why boundaries are the best + most important thing you can do when you first start your business.
First up...
Work can start anytime from 7-8 and usually starts with me double checking everything for the from wholesale orders, subscription box orders that are due, website products or cake orders that need to be made that day, checking quantities and flavours that need to be made. I'm definitely a pen and paper girl rather than digital so that all gets written into a new list usually on the cake room white board - also how much more satisfying is it to cross something out physically rather than digitally from a list?!
Next up is the kitchen clean before we start and do all the daily checks that need doing and ticking off. Then it's a case of getting the first lot of ingredients ready and going through the cake room to get sorted. I need an up to date video but this is when it first became the cake room.
Then get your bake on
Baking is always done first thing before I do anything else. Cakes get baked and decorated on different days the same way that tray bakes get baked and left to set one day and then wrapped the next which sounds like a long process but theres always other bits that can be done while you're waiting, it's definitely one of those jobs where theres always a to do list or something that needs doing but the biggest boundary i've learnt is how important it is to say no and how important it is to work normal hours. 3am finishes are no ones favourite and are so unhealthy.
First up tins get lined and prepped, then tray bakes and cakes. I do really enjoy baking and the routine of putting ingredients together more than decorating. Get everything prepped and in the oven and ready to cool. Cakes then get wrapped for the next day and tray bakes have to set in the fridge over night. I also always prep buttercream on a baking day to save time on decorating days and also because it's the worst job ever.
If it's not a baking day then
It's all about decorating + wrapping. Decorating consists of making sure all the cakes are trimmed and level, a crumb coat for each of them and then the final coat and touches. Wrapping all the stock for the shop, checking all the dietary requirements and dates are right and putting things together before they're wrapped.
And last but not least...
End of day checks + jobs. Cleaning everything down, to do lists for the next day and the worst job known to man. The washing up. Which is usually done as I go but some/most days that just doesn't happen. Then it's time to photograph products, do admin like answering emails, writing blogs, ordering stock and ingredients, costing up cakes, planning content + preparing emails.
So much more than I could have ever imagined goes into running a business and I'm sure I've missed some bits and pieces off of this day in the life of. It could never be "just a cake" when that much goes into it.
Is there anything you didn't know about or wanted to hear more of? Leave me a comment and i'll fill you in
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